Ted Kennedy on Foreign Policy

Democratic Sr Senator (MA)

1960: Toured newly-independent Africa with Senate delegation

I [asked for] an appointment to travel and gain experience that would help me when I was ready to declare for the Senate. Jack considered this; "Go back to Africa." (He was referring to my 1956 visit to Algeria as a reporter for the International
News Service.)

"Back to Africa?" I said.

"Yes. Go back and see what's going on over there. That's a continent that's going to be enormously important. There's this East-West struggle going on in these countries. The Belgian
Congo has just obtained its independence from Belgium."

I left that night for four weeks in West Africa [with a Senate delegation]. We were looking at the numerous independence movements in these countries, with an eye to whether the
United States, with its various development programs, or Soviet communism would fill the vacuum of the old colonial powers.

1968: Pressed for aid for refugees from Biafra

A fresh wave of terrified, starving victims of war welled up--this time in Africa. Biafra, a territory of 7 million people, most of them Catholic Ibos, on the southeastern coast of Nigeria, had declared its independence from the much larger and heavily
Muslim federation in May 1967. (Nigeria itself had only just gained independence from Great Britain in 1960.) Riots and armed fighting between these religious and ethnic adversaries had flared up for years, but Biafra's secession triggered an immediate
full-scale civil war, with catastrophic results.

In my first Senate speech following Bobby's death, on Sept. 23, 1968, I pointed out that while the US and other nations did nothing to intervene, more than 7000 Biafrans were dying of starvation each
day. After that I spent weeks pressing administration officials to do their humanitarian duty. By the end of 1968, my lobbying had produced results. Some relief planes were flying into the devastated area, but several were shot down.

1972: Resolution for uniting Ireland & British out of North

In Northern Ireland, British rule of the Protestant North, and the marginalization of the Catholic minority there, was of course an ancient and seemingly settled fact of history. In 1972, I cosponsored a resolution calling for withdrawal of the
British troops from Northern Ireland and establishing a united Ireland. On January 20, 1972--Bloody Sunday--when a British paratroop regiment had fired on Catholics marching in Derry to protest the British policy of internment.
Thirteen of the demonstrators were killed.

In 1976, I worked to address the issue of Northern Ireland for the first time in the Democratic platform. We worked with Jimmy Carter to include the following language: "The voice of the United States should
be heard in Northern Ireland against violence and terror, against the discrimination, repression and deprivation which brought about that civil strife, and for the efforts of the parties toward a peaceful resolution of the future of Northern Ireland."

1971: Nixon's China initiative was a "magnificent gesture"

Nixon announced to a stunned world his plan to hold a summit conference in Beijing with leaders of the People's Republic of China. The partisan warrior who had spent years shouting, "Who lost China?" and had scolded Jack Kennedy in the
1960 debates for refusing to fight for Quemoy and Matsu was himself opening the door to "Red China." It was a brilliant act of strategic surprise, leaving his enemies little recourse but to praise him.
Ted Kennedy was particularly gracious. "Rarely, I think, has the action of any president so captured the imagination and support of the American people as President Nixon's magnificent gesture."

Even with Nixon's chances of reelection bolstered by
his masterful turning of the tables on China policy, Nixon was single-handedly taking China out of the global struggle between the US, and the USSR, making her, more Cold War ally than enemy.

Voted YES on enlarging NATO to include Eastern Europe.

H.R. 3167; Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act of 2001, To endorse the vision of further enlargement of the NATO Alliance. Vote to pass a bill that would support further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, authorize military assistance to several eastern European countries and lift assistance restrictions on Slovakia.

Voted NO on capping foreign aid at only $12.7 billion.

Vetoed by President Clinton

Veto message of 10/18/1999: W cannot protect American interests at home without active engagement abroad. We must lead in the world, working with other nations to defuse crises, repel dangers, promote more open economic and political systems, and strengthen the rule of law. This bill rejects all of those principles.

The overall funding provided by H.R. 2606 is inadequate. By denying America a decent investment in diplomacy, this bill suggests we should meet threats to our security with our military might alone. That is a dangerous proposition. For if we underfund our diplomacy, we will end up overusing our military.

For example, A generation from now, no one is going to say we did too much to help the nations of the former Soviet Union safeguard their nuclear technology and expertise. If the funding cuts in this bill were to become law, future generations would certainly say we did too little and that we imperiled our future in the process.
Status: Conf Rpt Agreed to Y)51; N)49

Voted YES on ending Vietnam embargo.

Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s.

Kennedy co-sponsored acknowledging the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s

WHEREAS the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, and which succeeded in the elimination of more than 2,500-year presence of Armenians in their historic homeland;

WHEREAS, on May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers issued the joint statement of England, France, and Russia that explicitly charged, for the first time ever, another government of committing "a crime against humanity";

WHEREAS, despite the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the failure of the domestic and international authorities to punish those responsible for the Armenian Genocide is a reason why similar genocides have recurred and may recur in the future, and that a just resolution will help prevent future genocides:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Senate calls on the President, in the
President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide, to accurately characterize the systematic annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of US intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.

Sen. DURBIN: The definition of "genocide" is "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group." Scholars agree that what the Armenian people suffered in 1915 to 1917 fits the definition of genocide. To date, 19 countries and 37 US states recognize the Armenian Genocide. Genocide is wrong. It is evil. It is evil whether its victims are Armenians, Sudanese, Rwandan Tutsis, Cambodians or European Jews. Not to acknowledge genocide for what it is denigrates the memory of its victims. Recognition of genocide is part of the healing process. Official recognition will reaffirm our tradition of protecting the vulnerable and inspire us to not stand by and watch as genocide occurs in our time.

Urge Venezuela to re-open dissident radio & TV stations.

WHEREAS for several months, the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has been announcing over various media that he will not renew the current concession of the television station "Radio Caracas Televisión", also known as RCTV, which is set to expire on May 27, 2007, because of its adherence to an editorial stance different from his way of thinking;

WHEREAS President Chavez justifies this measure based on the alleged role RCTV played in the unsuccessful unconstitutional attempts in April 2002 to unseat President Chavez, under circumstances where there exists no filed complaint or judicial sentence that would sustain such a charge under Venezuelan law;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate--

(1) expresses its profound concern about the transgression against freedom of thought and expression that is being committed in Venezuela by the refusal of the President Hugo Chavez to renew the concession of RCTV

(2) strongly encourages the Organization of American States to respond appropriately, with full consideration of the necessary institutional instruments, to such transgression.

Source: Radio Caracas Resolution (S.RES.211) 2007-SR211 on May 21, 2007

Pressure friendly Arab states to end Israeli boycott.

Kennedy signed Schumer-Graham letter to Secy. Rice from 79 Congress members

Dear Secretary Rice, In the past, the lack of sufficient support from [non-participating] Arab states have made it difficult to reach agreements [on the Arab-Israeli conflict]. You should press friendly Arab countries that have not yet done so, to:

Participate in the upcoming international meeting and be a full partner of the US in advancing regional peace

Take visible, meaningful steps in the financial, diplomatic and political arena to help Palestinian President Abbas govern effectively and meet obligations to fight terror

Stop support for terrorist groups and cease all anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement

Recognize Israel's right to exist and not use such recognition as a bargaining chip for future Israeli concessions

End the Arab League economic boycott of Israel in all of its forms

Pressure Hamas to recognize Israel, reject terror, and accept prior agreements, and isolate Hamas until it takes such steps.